Is sex addiction real?

Some guys with constant hard-ons aren’t modern-day incarnations of Priapus, but claim to be sex addicts. There always seems to be a celebrity tale of cheating based on sexual compulsion-Charlie Sheen, anyone? Could these guys actually have an addiction problem?

Sex addiction exists, but if these guys are sex addicts, so are a couple billion other guys. Seriously-for better or worse, “cheating” is epidemic among men and women. Recent studies reveal that 45-55 percent of married women and 50-60 percent of married men engage in extramarital sex at one time or another during their relationship. And that’s just for married couples. People in nonmarried relationships are perhaps even more likely to have an affair, so the prevalence of cheating is probably even higher than these numbers.

Sexual addiction (or “sexual dependency”) is a valid disorder, however. Like any addiction, sexual dependency is a compulsive behavior that completely dominates one’s life. Sexual addicts make sex a higher priority than family, friends, or work. They are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior.

No single behavior pattern defines sexual addiction-and it has not yet been given a formal listing in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the bible of diagnosis used by psychiatrists. But generally speaking, the behaviors that can be engaged in by a “sex addict” include: compulsive masturbation, compulsive heterosexual and homosexual relationships, compulsive viewing of pornography, prostitution, exhibitionism, voyeurism, indecent phone calls, child molesting, incest, and rape.

Read more of Dr. Fisch’s advice in his book:Size Matters; The Hard Facts About Male Sexuality That Every Woman Should Know…And All The Knowledge You Need To Improve Your Sex Life